Ultimate Detective: Rei Shinobi
by M2J MandalorianJedi
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto, Age 12. He's supposed to be the Hero of this Story but now... He's dead. Meet Uzumaki Naruto future Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato and... Spirit Detective. Sasuke Retrieval Arc Divergence.
1. Legacy Lost, Legacy Found

**Chapter One:**** Legacy Lost, Legacy Found

* * *

**

Uzumaki Naruto, age 12. He's supposed to be the hero of this story, but ironically enough... He's dead...

"Well... Now what?" Naruto asked himself as he hovered aimlessly in the air. His face took an expression of deep concentration as he thought about what had happened just moments prior.

Kyuubi's (Nine Tail's) chakra wrapped around him like a kitsune (fox) shaped gossamer veil. His canines had slightly elongated, the irises' of his eyes were blood red and had become slitted. The whisker marks that adorned his face were widened and lengthened. He currently looked the part of the mighty Youko (demon fox) sealed within him in human form.

Across from him in the valley was his "brother". A boy approximately his own age looking very much like a demonic harbinger of death. He was as twisted and tainted after having fully given in to the whisperings of the mark inflicted on his neck by the Snake. Not even his doujutsu (eye technique), the mighty Sharingan, was spared from this twisted mutation. Instead of the usual blood red, it was golden in color and in place of the normal three tomoe that had formed in his eyes earlier in the fight was a black ring with three 'thorns' protruding from it.

The two had been deadlocked in an epic struggle of mortal combat that would prove fatal for either one of them should one of them falter.

The blonde, panting heavily, began to gather as much of his chakra and the Kyuubi's demonic youki, as was safely possible, into his right hand, forming a spiraling sphere of pure energy.

The ivory haired boy charged up his own finishing move. The cursed chakra from the snake's seal coursing through his veins tainting it, forming a blackened surge of pure electricity that sounded like a flock of one thousand birds flapping their wings all at once, vice the normal chorus of one thousand birds chirping that was the norm.

Both charged at one another at speeds that would have impressed even their own sensei.

It was over in a flash.

* * *

In Konohagakure no Sato, Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, could not concentrate on her work. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something horrible was about to go wrong. Suddenly, there was a small tremor and the sound of a cracking stone. She looked out to the Hokage monument and saw something that made her pale ghostly white. 

Next to the Sandaime's newly repaired face was a large crack in the face of the Yondaime Hokage. Only one other time had such an omen ever happened in Konoha and Tsunade couldn't help but feel that this time would not be any better and had hit closer to home than she wanted.

* * *

Miles away Hatake Kakashi felt a tremor, the sudden spikes in both of Naruto and Sasuke's chakra and the sudden disappearance in the former. He hoped beyond hope that he was wrong as he and Pakkun sped up their pace.

* * *

The now ebony haired boy was looking at his blonde teammate with an expression of horror. Said teammate had blood drizzling from his mouth. 

"I... I've given you th-the power you wanted... G-go back t-to Sakura-chan, tell her... Tell her, I k-kept m-my promise..." he said to his "brother".

The now ebony haired boy did not respond, his focus was solely on his own right hand that was deeply imbedded in the chest of his best friend. The same friend who had admitted earlier that he felt that they were like brothers. The same friend he had told the secrets of the Mangekyo Sharingan earlier on in hopes he might understand his motivations for leaving Konoha. The same friend who had just granted that power. He could not shake his gaze from his right hand that was exactly where his "brother's" heart should be.

He watched helplessly as his best friend slowly slid off his arm and slumped unceremoniously onto the ground, the fire leaving his eyes. Uchiha Sasuke barely noticed the small content smile on the face of Uzumaki Naruto as he could only stare at his blood soaked right hand.

This was the scene Kakashi happened upon. Sasuke standing over Naruto's lifeless body, staring at his hand in absolute terror.

His one eyed widened.

"No..." he whispered. "No..."

Once again, he had failed.

"Dobe..." said Sasuke quietly.

"Dobe," he repeated more forcefully, "Get up..."

He nudged the lifeless body of his friend, "C'mon... Get up..."

Kakashi watched sadly as Sasuke tried to revive his teammate in vain.

"This isn't funny..." said Sasuke, his voice cracking, "GET UP!"

The Uchiha prodigy slumped to his knees rubbing his left hand against the burning sensation in his eyes. After futilely rubbing his eyes to rid himself of the pain, he noticed something in his reflection in Naruto's hitai-ite.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed something he hoped to not see.

The Mangekyo Sharingan.

In the final charge, Sasuke, who had been more than willing to slay his best friend for power, decided he would not be his brother's tool. He wouldn't become his brother to defeat his brother. He had slightly altered the course of his final attack, even if it resulted in his own death. Instead of slicing straight through the heart of his best friend, the jutsu was supposed to land in the upper part of the right lung. Still potentially fatal, but his best friend still had a chance of getting medical attention before anything happened.

What he didn't expect was for Naruto to prove, once again, that he was Konohagakure's Most Surprising Knuckleheaded Ninja. He watched as Naruto's final attack dissipated. Everything became painfully slow as the two came closer and closer. Naruto, instead of attacking, grabbed Sasuke's right arm re-directing it. At the speed Sasuke was moving, he was helpless to do anything about what Naruto was doing.

He was helpless as the Chidori pierced Naruto's chest. He was helpless as he watched Naruto's life force slowly drained from his body. He was helpless as he watched his friend sacrifice himself to save the one he called his brother for the girl he loved, but took no noticed him.

'Oh Kami... No...' thought Sasuke, who could only thing of one possible thing to make things right. Without hesitation, he pulled a kunai from the pouch strapped to his leg, twirling it in his hands. With the pointed end pointed towards him, he was going to attempt to find absolution for his sins as he gripped it tightly in both hands.

Seppuku.

Suddenly he found himself disarmed and lying flat on his back, looking up at his sensei, who was glaring down at him with his one eye.

"Why?" he demanded angrily.

"Because I will NOT allow his sacrifice be in vain," said Kakashi equally angrily. "I can tell from your actions that no matter what happened here, you didn't intend for this to happen. However, it has, and I will not allow you to just throw away everything he fought for because of your overwhelming guilt."

* * *

Naruto saw none of this as he was distracted by another presence. 

"Well... Now What?" he asked himself.

"That seems to be the question," a voice replied.

"Wa-!" shouted Naruto in surprise. "Don't do that! You scared me to death!"

"Actually, you're already dead," said a blue haired girl in a pink kimono. "And as far as I know, you can't get any deader."

Naruto growled in annoyance.

"That's not the point!" shouted Naruto, "Now who the hell are you?"

"Well, you're rude," said the girl with a frown.

"Says the person who just snuck up on someone who just recently died," Naruto shot back.

"Oh fine! My name is Botan and I'm a pilot of the River Styx!" she introduced herself.

Naruto looked at her confusedly.

"You know... A shinigami, the grim reaper..." Botan listed off, "And a bunch of other names people give apparitions like me. Basically I'm Death!"

Naruto shot her a look of annoyed disbelief. "Do I look stupid to you?"

Botan went to answer, but she was cut off. "Listen, assuming you ARE a shinigami, where's your shroud? Aren't you supposed to be all bony like and creepy not bubbly and as pretty as Sakura-chan."

Botan couldn't help but blush at that statement. "Your kimono isn't even black, it's pink."

"Where do people keep getting all these misconceptions about us shinigami?" asked Botan as she sighed.

"So... Since you're Death... Does that mean you're going to take me to Reikai or Makai or wherever it is I am supposed to go?"

"Well... You see... It's like this..." said Botan uncomfortably, "youwerentsupposedtodieandsothereisnoplaceforyouineitherplace!"

"What?" asked Naruto.

"You... Weren't supposed to die... So we haven't actually prepared a place to send you..." said Botan hesitantly.

"What do you mean I wasn't suppose to die!" demanded Naruto.

"Well, it's just that. When you and Uchiha Sasuke charged at each other that final time, he was supposed to puncture your right lung, not your heart, and you were supposed to scratch his hitai-ite," said Botan, "Then he was supposed to join Orochimaru while Kakashi took you back to Konoha. Your ultimate sacrifice has thrown everyone for a loop, and now no one knows what's going on right now."

"Oh just great! Only I could screw up dying!" said Naruto sarcastically.

"Well... There is ONE bright side," said Botan cheerfully.

"As if anything could get any worse," said Naruto, "You know I did just die not too long ago."

"Well, since you weren't supposed to die and we have no place for you at this time... You get to go back!" said Botan excitedly.

Naruto's brow crinkled in concentration as he looked down to where his corpse and Sasuke were. Both were gone at this point.

"You said Sasuke was SUPPOSED to go to Orochimaru and Kakashi was to take me back to Konoha, right," at Botan's nod, he continued, "So then... Where is Sasuke now?"

Botan answered uneasily trying to figure out where Naruto was going with this. "He's... On his way back to Konoha with Kakashi right now. He's also carrying your body. He wouldn't let Kakashi even touch it."

"What about Neji, Chouji, Kiba, Lee and Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Chouji and Neji beat their opponents, but are in critical condition," answered Botan, "They will pull through though. Kiba, Lee and Shikamaru were all saved by Sabaku no Gaara and his siblings. It was a close call for Gaara and Lee, but they are practically uninjured. Kiba's lost a lot of blood, but he'll survive and Shikamaru merely suffered a broken finger before Sabaku no Temari jumped in."

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Naruto.

"Huh?" Botan asked dumbly.

"I didn't get to become Hokage, but it's all right... To be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to make that dream come true anyway..." He said that with a bit of sadness in his voice and Botan could tell that he was lying, mostly to himself to make what he was about to say a little easier. "Everyone's going to be all right and I kept my promise to Sakura-chan. Sasuke's got the power he needs to kill his brother, so he'll stay in Konoha and maybe he and Sakura will get together... Maybe even name their first child after me." Naruto said this with a wide smile, one that she Botan instantly saw through.

'Poor thing...' she thought sadly. "What about the others? The people who care about you?"

"Humph... Shortest list in all of Konoha..." Naruto said bitterly. "Baa-chan will probablly have the toughest time, but Shizune-nee-chan and Ero-Sennin will be there for her and they'll have her too! Iruka-sensei is still young, so he'll be sad for a while, but he'll move on, maybe even get a girlfriend now that he isn't always hanging around me. It's hard to say with Kakashi-sensei, but I doubt he'll miss me too much. And Sakura-chan... Sakura's got Sasuke... She'll probablly barely even notice I'm gone..."

Naruto looked about to breakdown at that point but didn't.

"It's better this way," said Naruto, "If I'm not there to annoy her, maybe she'll... Be happier... Without me..."

'Poor boy...' thought Botan, it took everything she had in her to not pull they distraught boy into a gigantic hug and smoother him to death (not that, that was possible, after all the boy was already dead).

"Listen, Naruto," said Botan, "Since we don't have a place for you just yet, why don't you take some time to think things over. If you decide you want to stay dead, I'll take you to wherever I'm supposed to take you. But if you decide you want to go back, well... We'll talk about that later, all right?"

"Sure," he said, "But I doubt I'll change my mind."

"An opportunity like the one you now have, only comes, at most, once a century," said Botan, "It's a very rare thing indeed. However, it's often enough that I know from experience that you might just be surprised."

"So what do you think I should do?" asked Naruto.

"I suppose you could head towards Konohagakure," suggested Botan, "It's off in that direction. If you hurry you could probablly beat Kakashi and Sasuke there."

"How, they left a long time ago?" asked Naruto.

"Well, even if they are traveling in the trees, they still have to follow the terrain. You, however, as a ghost can not only go through the terrain, but also fly over it like you are now," Botan informed him.

"Well... I guess this is it for now..." said Naruto hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I'll be able to find you in a jiffy if I need to," Botan said reassuringly, "I am, after all, a shinigami."

Naruto sighed, "I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea that something that's supposed to be so creepy and scary being so... Well not creepy and scary."

"We'll definitely have to work on your compliments," said Botan giggling, "Even though it was sweet, women don't like to be compared to other women, and I appreciate the fact that you're not afraid of me or find me creepy."

"Well... I guess I'll get going then..." said Naruto, "I'll catch you later Botan-chan!"

Naruto then zipped away in the direction of Konoha to be there for his precious people when they got news of his death.

* * *

The scene he had expected was very different when he arrived than what he had seen. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what to expect, but what he saw wasn't it. 

As Botan predicted, he had gotten to the Konoha Northgate before Kakashi and Sasuke. There Sakura was waiting for them, as was Hinata and Ino.

"What's taking them so long... Everyone else is back all ready!" asked Sakura aggravatedly.

Ino sympathized with her pink haired friend, the only two who had not shown up was both of her teammates and her sensei who was said to have gone after them. What worried her even more was the crack in the Yondaime's face on the monument. Everybody in town had been talking about what it could mean, but she heard no definite theory. The only thing everyone could agree on was that it couldn't mean anything good.

Hinata on the other hand, knew something had happened. Something horribly bad. That fact that it had caused the Yondaime's face to crack was equally disturbing, because that's where Naruto always went when he wanted to be away from the village but not go too far. She had her suspicions, but she hoped beyond hope that she was wrong and that Naruto was all right.

"Hey, it looks like Kakashi's coming back!" shouted one of the Chuunin Guards.

The three kunoichi looked in the direction he pointed. Off in the distance they could see Kakashi walking back and one other person accompanying him, who was carrying something. Curious, Hinata activated her Byakugan and instantly regretted it. Her gasp made Sakura and Ino turn towards the now distraught girl.

"N-Naruto... kun..." she whispered as a sob escaped. Both Sakura and Ino looked back towards Kakashi who was much closer now. They could make out the dark hair of his companion who was carrying an orange object.

Sakura paled. Ino stood rooted in place with a wide eyed expression.

"S-Sasuke-kun... Wh-What happened?" asked Sakura.

"N-Naruto... I killed him," he said, not able to look her in the eye.

"No!" shouted Sakura. "No... Why would you say that!"

"Sakura..." said Sasuke quietly.

"No! Even if we didn't like him, or found him annoying, we wouldn't have wanted him dead!" shouted Sakura, "The Sasuke-kun I know wouldn't have killed Naruto!"

"Sakura..."

"I don't want to hear it... murderer!" Sakura said scathingly.

"Naruto... Before he died... He said... He kept his promise..." Sasuke said, actually looking at Sakura.

Sakura's blood ran cold.

"I... I didn't mean to... We were charging at each other, and then he... He grabbed my arm..." said Sasuke with a pained expression on his face.

"To... To keep his promise..." Sakura said, "To me..."

The pink haired girl shut down and faded into unconsciousness, the strain had been too much for her. Her last coherent thoughts were, 'I killed him...'

Ino did know what to do or think. Hinata was staring blankly at Naruto's corpse, her eyes glistening with tears just waiting for the right moment to breakdown. Sakura on the other hand fainted.

Kakashi's words summed it up perfectly. "Shit..."

* * *

Things went from bad to worse as Naruto watched on.

* * *

Tsunade and Iruka had both gone hysterical and even seemed to be trying to out drink each other. He'd expected it from Baa-chan, but to see Iruka-sensei becoming a lush boggled his mind to no end. 

Ero-Sennin couldn't even do his research properly, and for once Naruto wasn't sure it was a good thing. Every time the pervert tried to conduct his research he'd look around him, almost expecting something that never came.

Naruto quickly realized that he was waiting for the blonde Jinchuuriki to come interrupt his research to train him. It made Naruto happy and sad at the same time.

Hinata had shut down. He couldn't understand why, the two barely spoke and she always fainted in his presence. She had tears in her eyes and every so often she'd whimper his name. She didn't move, she didn't do much of anything and that made Naruto feel guilty.

Shikamaru had even gone as far as to nearly stop being a ninja. His best friend was critically injured, as was Neji. Kiba was merely severely injured and was in shock from blood loss and Naruto... Naruto was... Dead...

He remembered the days when the four of them, Kiba, Chouji and himself led by Naruto would skip out of class and even the occasional detention. Naruto the prankster, Kiba the 'wild child', Shikamaru the slacker, and Chouji the loyal friend.

Such were good times and the lazy genius had thought that there would be time again for such days of no responsibilities or duties. However, the Sasuke Retrieval Mission had disillusioned him to that notion as two friends lay in the hospital and the third in the morgue.

Naruto made a mental note to give Sabaku no Temari the biggest hug and kiss of her life for verbally slapping some sense in the newly made Chuunin.

Naruto's observations quickly came to the his team mates.

Naruto had discovered the reason Kakashi was always late, as the man spent several hours of the day just staring at the Memorial Stone. He floated in silence as Kakashi would gaze remorsefully at the stone and every now and than mumble something nearly incoherent. Once, Naruto thought he heard an apology to him. He'd have discounted the notion if he didn't see the remorseful gaze the man had on is face.

Naruto wanted to scream and shout and drag Sasuke back to the Valley of the End to kick his ass again when he learned the Uchiha Scion actually insisted he be executed for crimes against Konoha.

Naruto didn't go after him to drag him back to Konoha and Sakura-chan only to have him killed then and there.

His thoughts then turned back to his distraught teammate, the kunoichi of the team. He had told Botan that he was sure she wouldn't even notice he was gone, that at the sight of Sasuke she would, once again, forget he existed. He couldn't have been any more wrong, though seeing her current state, he wished he had been right.

This Sakura was far from the bright and budding kunoichi she had been when Team 7 first formed. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes were red and blotchy from crying almost non-stop. Ino never once left her side despite Chouji's critical condition.

The guilt he felt made him wish he had chosen different last words, as she now blamed herself for his death. Sasuke was guiltier than she was, he's the one whose hand had pierced Naruto's chest. But Naruto didn't blame Sasuke because, like Botan said, had he not intervened, Sasuke would not have killed him.

Ino could only consol her friend as she kept hysterically repeating that she'd killed Naruto, that she and her stupid promise had killed one of her best friends, whom she never had shown even the smallest fraction of gratitude.

* * *

"So... What do you say?" asked Botan as she hovered to him. Naruto was currently sitting on the Yondaime Hokage's head. 

"I... I'll do it. Whatever you want me to so I can come back..." said Naruto sadly.

"I thought you'd be happier to know that so many people care about you," commented Botan.

"But look at them... I'm going to spend the rest of my life making up for this..." he said looking down at Konoha. "I've always gone out of my way to not hurt anyone. I tried to give them what they wanted. Ero-Sennin could do his research with me bothering him, Baa-chan wouldn't have to deal with me begging for missions, Iruka-sensei wouldn't have to look out for me anymore, Kakashi-sensei could focus on training Sasuke and Sakura-chan wouldn't have to worry about me 'getting in the way'... It wasn't supposed to be like this..."

"All you can really do is just move forward," said Botan. "Now C'mon, we have to see Koenma-sama before they do anything with your body."

"Huh?" asked Naruto dumbly.

"You're funeral, you didn't forget did you?" asked Botan, "We have a VERY time sensitive schedule, so it's best we hurry. So hop on."

Naruto jumped on Botan's oar and held onto her waist as they took off for parts unknown.

Little did Naruto, or anyone else, know, the adventure was just beginning.

* * *

A/N: This is a little plot bunny that just ran away from me. Unlike the other 'installments' of the Ultimate Naruto series this starts much later in the time line. I've only seen one other fic like this, but it starts during the Search for Tsunade Arc, and while pretty good, follows YuYu Hakusho a bit closely. 

I really have no idea where this is going to go at this point, and with Weapon and Jagan taking up most of my time, Rei Shinobi will be on the back burner, so to speak.

Anyways, please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Enter Koenma, Naruto's Test pt 1

A/N: This chapter was finished ahead of schedule, especially since I had wanted to update Weapon and/or Jagan first, but those aren't quite ready yet. The next installment of Weapon is only about ½ finished and Chapter 13 of Jagan only has a brief outline as of yet. They should be out soon.

* * *

_**IMPORTANT (Updated):**_

On an unrelated note, I am doing an unrelated "Holiday Chapter" for one of my fics. This will be a short Christmas type chapter that will have little to do with the actual storyline, but will ultimately follow the theme of the fic in question.

The Poll for the Christmas Holiday Special Chapter can be found on my profile page. Two other polls, coinciding with that one, can be found on my forums page. The direct link is also on my profile page.The original deadline was the 23rd, Thanksgiving Day, but since I am now running the three polls simultaneously the Deadline is now the 28th.

* * *

**To everyone who inquired about the fate of Kyuubi:** This will be answered in this chapter. 

**Vilkath:** You'll have to wait another chapter for a gauge on anyone's reactions. They won't be extreme as say, people widely celebrating in the streets, but they won't exactly be grieving the death of Naruto.

Sakura did a lot of growing up after the Chuunin Exams. She was still Sasuke obsessed, but she was beginning to lose the fangirl mentality. No how much Naruto annoyed her I don't think she'd want him dead and anyone would feel guilty if someone died trying to keep a promise to them.

As for Sasuke, in canon, he did not kill Naruto because he didn't want to become his brother. He didn't want to achieve power in the same way Itachi had by killing his best friend. Meaning he was already fighting the Cursed Seal's influence. The shock of Naruto's death brought him out completely and put him in a state of temporary shock until Kakashi arrived to take him back to Konoha.

I personally can't wait for Orochimaru's reaction myself either as Naruto will have accomplished something even he could not.

**rasengan86:** Naruto wasn't committing suicide, merely sacrificing himself to save one friend and keep his promise to another. He didn't think there would be all that many people who actually cared for him, and he figured that with few exceptions, that they'd all forget about him fairly quickly. Thus, he didn't want to go back, thinking they'd all be better off without him. Seeing the other's reactions to his death had spurred Naruto to decide he was going to let Botan's superiors bring him back to life, even though he didn't want to go back at first.

**Allahee4life:** I love a good character bashing story every now and then, but often times it's good for a change too.

**Demonkid:** Yes, Naruto will eventually learn the Reigan (Spirit Gun), and a few other Yusuke techniques, but not for another chapter or two.

**BratCat:** This chapter will explain Kyuubi's fate, and a few of the tests Naruto will have to go through to get his spirit back into his body.

**KenHz:** This chapter doesn't actually answer your questions directly, but will hint at varioius events of the YuYuverse.

**XxExX:** I had to search for it a bit, but I found it. The fic I alluded to in the last chapter is called **Yu Yu Hakusho: Shinobi Files** by **x se**.

**necro-wulf:** Good idea, but it doesn't really fit considering King Enma (Yamma) is the father of Koenma, whom Naruto will meet in this chapter.

**Hiroshima Namikaze:** Like my previous fics, there is no planned pairing as of yet, so it would be unfair to say whether it will ultimately be Naruto/Botan. Botan currently is the only female to have interacted with Naruto at this point in the fic, so we'll just have to wait and see how the characters develop later on in the fic.

* * *

Now, for the rest of the story...

* * *

**Chapter Two: Enter Koenma, Naruto's Test pt. 1

* * *

**

Naruto could not believe the speeds at which the pair traveled and he could only marvel at the dimensional portal that opened up in the sky to allow them passage into Reikai, where a divine emissary was waiting for him.

He had never felt lighter or freer than he ever had in life.

He'd definitely have to learn how to fly under his own power when he got back to Ningenkai, as Botan had called it.

The sight blew him away. All he could see was endless pink skies and yellow clouds that extended for miles without end. It was sometime before off in the distance he could see a tower gradually getting bigger.

They landed on the platform and were faced with a humongous gate.

"Sugoi (Amazing)..." Naruto whispered.

Botan giggled at his child-like wonder. Naruto definitely harbored an innocence rarely found in people his age, especially those in his chosen profession. She found it to be very endearing to watch.

"Yeah, even after all this time I find it to be quite the sight," she said.

"It's gotta be awesome working here," he said with a smile.

Botan sighed, "It would be... If my job wasn't so depressing sometimes..."

"Err..." Naruto "Gomen... I forgot..."

He gave her a sheepish look as he scratched the back of his head.

"It's alright, Naruto-kun," said Botan, "Now, let's go see Koenma-sama. It's best if he isn't kept waiting. He's a fairly busy man you know."

"Who's this Koenma guy any way?" asked Naruto with genuine curiosity.

"He's the son of Yamma-sama," said Botan.

"Yamma-sama..." Naruto whispered, and then stopped in his tracks, "Like KING Yamma... THAT Yamma?"

"Yep, that would be the one!" said Botan cheerily.

Naruto paled.

"Oh relax, you're not going to be seeing Yamma-sama anyway," Botan assured him. "Even I don't see him all that often. When I do it's usually when we're in a state of emergency."

"So... Why does Koenma want to see me anyway?" asked Naruto.

"It's hard to say exactly," said Botan, "Like I said you're not the first, but each time is a little different."

Naruto nodded, but didn't really understand. Hopefully this Koenma would clear it up.

* * *

Every so often, they would pass other beautiful girls in kimonos, whom Naruto assumed were shinigami like Botan. One in particular caught his eye, she had pale white skin, black hair and wore a black kimono. 

'Boys...' Botan thought shaking her head.

"What?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Nothing..." breathed Botan, "That was Ayame. Koenma-sama is quite taken with her, as are many others who visit here."

"Jealous, Botan-chan?" asked Naruto teasingly.

"Of course not!" Botan protested. "Why would I be?"

"How should I know?" responded Naruto, "You're really pretty and nice when you're not sneaking up on people."

Botan blushed at the compliment, 'Looks like he's getting better...'

Naruto smirked as they walked in silence, mentally jotting down a point for him. 'If only I could talk to Sakura-chan, or anyone else, like this back home...'

Naruto's smile weakened a bit, showing less genuine happiness, becoming more bittersweet. Botan noticed, but said nothing.

* * *

Along the way they also passed humanoid creatures wearing strange, to Naruto anyway, clothes Some had horns, other didn't. They had blue, grey, red, and various other colors of skin. 

"Hey Botan-chan... What are those... People?" asked Naruto hesitantly, trying to find the words.

"Those are Ogres," said Botan, "They do most all of the administrative work around here as you can see."

One such Ogre passed by them with a rather large stack of paperwork.

"Reminds me when I was younger and Ojii-san was still Hokage," said Naruto, "The Chuunin on duty would sometimes bring in stacks of paperwork like that..." Naruto sadly smiled at the memory, silently vowing that he would find someway to get back at Orochimaru for messing with his precious people.

* * *

It wasn't long before the two made it to the majestic doors that led to the office of Koenma. 

They entered a rather large room, that was currently mostly empty other than a desk with a few small stacks of paperwork. Behind the desk was a large, imposing chair. Naruto found himself getting rather nervous at the prospect of meeting the son of one of the most powerful beings in existence.

However, that changed when the chair, that had been facing away from he and Botan, turned to face them.

"What the...!? Who? Wait a second..." Naruto stumbled out.

"Very articulate, isn't he," said the one known as Koenma. The entity in question was just over two feet tall, had a pacifier in his mouth and wore a tall blue hat that was almost bigger than he was. There was a black 'Jr' written on the hat.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" asked Naruto annoyed. "This can't be the oh-so-great 'Koenma-sama'! He's not even potty trained yet! Not to mention even Konohamaru's a foot taller than he is!"

"I assure you Naruto-san, though I appear to be quite young, I am far older than you'll ever be," Koenma assured him. "But that is neither here nor there. Because you are a unique case, you will be given a gift very few have ever received."

Naruto nodded. "Botan-chan said you were going to bring me back to life."

"If only it was that simple..." said Koenma downcast.

"How come?" asked Naruto.

Koenma sighed, "The Kyuubi no Youko."

Naruto stiffened at the mention of the entity sealed within him since just after his birth that was responsible for the villagers hatred of him.

He stole a quick glance at Botan, but she didn't react to the mention of the kitsune, much to his relief. "What does the furball have to do with anything?"

"Tell me Naruto-san, have you felt lighter than you've ever been? Do you have a sense of freedom you've never felt before?" asked Koenma.

"Err... Yeah... I guess..." said Naruto hesitantly, before worriedly asking, "What's going on?"

"It is because in death, you have been freed from the burden that had been placed on your soul. Now then, on to business. I would like for you to be my representative in Ningenkai, as Reikai Tantei," said Koenma. "However, you are unique amongst your predecessors. Most have been full human, though some have been Hanyou (half-demons), and even the occasional Demon has been known to sprout up. You can not be classified as any of the three."

"What do you mean Koenma-sama?" asked Botan, "I can feel the energy he's putting out. It's pure Reiki."

"Yes, his soul is purely human, but because the Yondaime Hokage sealed the Kyuubi no Youko into his body just after he was born, his body his not," said Koenma. "Biologically speaking, Naruto-san, you are human, however, your body as adapted and evolved to accommodate both Reiki and Youki. In a sense, you could ALMOST be considered a Hanyou with your ability to use both. But the Youki belongs to a separate entity entirely. One that was sealed inside your body just after your birth and while it is apart of you physically, its energy does not actually belong to you."

"Wait. You said WAS sealed inside of me... What happened to the Kyuubi?" asked Naruto.

"Due to the design of the seals placed on you by the Yondaime, the Shiki Fujin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal), in conjunction with both the Shishou Fuin (Four Symbols Seal) and the Hakke no Fuin (Eight Trigrams Seal), not only sealed and contained the Kyuubi within you, but converted its' Youki into your Chakra, as well as allowing you direct access to it as a secondary power source in cases of extreme emergency. Subsequentially, it also ties the Kyuubi's life force with yours. Meaning when Uchiha Sasuke killed you, the Kyuubi also died." explained Koenma, "Therein lies our dilemma."

"So what's the problem with that?" asked Naruto.

Botan sighed, though she couldn't exactly blame Naruto for not fully understanding, the whole thing was pretty hard to follow.

"In a nutshell, your body has become accustomed to having a source of both Human Reiki and Demon Youki inside of it," explained Botan, "When you died, your body lost it's source of Reiki, meaning not only could the Kyuubi NOT take over your body, but it would die along with you."

"Yeah, yeah..." said Naruto impatiently, "I got all that! Get to the point!"

"The Yondaime's Seal Array not only bound you and the Kyuubi in death, but also in life," said Koenma. "Meaning, if we put your soul back into your body, it would only be a matter of seconds before you died. Again. Only this time it's because your body is without a source of Youki."

"So... Basically, the Kyuubi died because I died," said Naruto, "And since the Kyuubi is dead, I can't come back to life?"

"Precisely."

"Then get his lazy ass up here and let's get back to my body!" said Naruto, "Because not even death will stop me from becoming Hokage!"

"Impossible." declared Koenma.

"How come Koenma-sama?" asked Botan.

"The Shiki Fujin," stated Koenma, "It is no ordinary seal, but a contract between the summoner and the lead Shinigami. The particular terms for this particular case state that the Yondaime's soul would belong to the Shinigami until such time of the Kyuubi no Youko's timely demise. The price the Yondaime paid for sealing an entity as powerful as the Kyuubi inside of you was for his soul to reside in Limbo, within the stomach of a Shinigami, constantly being tortured beyond all physical limitations until the very moment the Kyuubi died. Luckily enough for the Yondaime, the Kyuubi's death came a few decades early and he has been released from Limbo after only 12 years of torture. Unluckily for us, we are currently without a source of Youki to sustain your body because you did not absorb enough of it before you died."

"Huh?" asked Naruto dumbly.

Koenma sighed, and then glanced at the thick folder on his desk,"Had you not gotten yourself killed, you would have lived well into old age, however, due to the uniqueness of your seal, the Kyuubi's life span would have been significantly shorter. Though you would have lived until you reached your 90s, the Kyuubi's entire source of Youki would have been completely transferred into your body around the time you turned 30. Meaning the Kyuubi, without anything to sustain its' own life force, would have died. Thus, it's soul would have been turned over to the Shinigami and the Yondaime would have been released from his torturous prison. Despite no longer having the Kyuubi within you, the Youki would have remained within the seal on your naval as a secondary power source. Though it would have been less potent than when it belonged to Kyuubi and would allow you to retain more control when using it."

Koenma picked up the folder and tossed it into the waste bin. "Yours and the Kyuubi's premature deaths, however, has made everything in that folder nearly obsolete. And we are at a loss for what to do."

"Well, Botan-chan is a shinigami, just have her release the Kyuubi so we can get me back home," suggested Naruto.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," said Botan, "The Shinigami in question is older than all of us that you've seen. He's even more ancient than Koenma-sama, and very powerful in his own right."

"Yojimbo will not give up the Kyuubi easily, as a prize as significant as a bijuu is very rare indeed. Especially when a good portion of it's Life Force is still intact."

"So what do we do?" asked Naruto.

"I suppose I could always give myself back up to him to let Naruto fully absorb the Kyuubi as originally planned," suggested a new voice.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the speaker. He found himself gaping at none other than his childhood hero, the man who sealed the Kyuubi no Youko within him, the Yondaime Hokage.

"As great and powerful of a human as you were, Minato-san, even you are an insignificant cast away compared to that of the Kyuubi," said Koenma, "Plus, you have already served your time in Limbo, I would never force such a fate on anyone who did not truly deserve it."

"I met a soul down there that suggests otherwise," responded Minato.

"He... Was a special case," said Koenma, turning to Naruto and Botan he explained, "He specifically requested to be sent to Yojimbo's realm and would not let me send him elsewhere."

"So if we can't get Kyuubi back, what do we do now?" asked Naruto.

"I foresee one of two alternatives," said Koenma, "Which is why I sent for Minato-san. Our first option is to find another Youko that will allow us to seal him inside your body. There is one such individual who might, but he is also one of Reikai's most powerful allies. Allowing Yojimbo to have him as well is simply unacceptable, but still an option. Minato is one of the most advanced Fuin Masters, even here in Reikai. The complexity of the Shiki Fujin is such that I'd rather not risk anyone other than it's creator to tamper with it."

"What's the other option?" asked Botan.

Koenma sighed. "For Naruto-san to absorb an ample amount of Youki to resurrect him. The process would be similar to what a former Reikai Tantei, who currently resides in Makai, had to go through when he was just older than Naruto himself. Only on a much larger scale."

"Something like that could kill him!" shouted Botan, "And because he doesn't have a body, that would mean his soul would be destroyed!"

"No, even though the Shiki Fujin, Shishou Fuin and Hakke no Fuin are all on Naruto's physical body, because the Kyuubi had been sealed inside of him, they have left impressions on his soul and should help facilitate the absorption of the access energy," Minato explained, "However, we'll still have to set several binding seals on him to contain his new power and keep it from harming his physical body."

"There is still the problem of getting enough Demons willing enough to give up a small portion of their energy, especially for a Human," said Koenma, "And I fear that Youki from Demon types other than Kitsunes would be rejected by his body. There simply aren't enough Youkos in existence with that type of power that would be willing."

Naruto was deep in thought, which was very uncharacteristic for the normally boisterous boy.

"There is one that IS powerful enough, and he wouldn't even have a choice." he said at last. "The Kyuubi. I've got an idea just take me to the Yo-whatever his name is and leave everything to me."

Koenma raised an eyebrow, but didn't press for details, "Very well. Botan, escort Uzumaki-san to see Yojimbo."

"Hai, Koenma-sama," said Botan bowing.

"Would it be all right if I accompanied them?" asked Minato hopefully.

"By all means," responded Koenma.

* * *

It didn't take long for the small entourage to reach the Majestic gates of Yojimbo's Realm, the Rosuto Reikon no Kajuen (Orchard of Lost Souls). 

Unlike the rest of Reikai that Naruto had seen, which was asmittedly not much, this place had an aura of foreboding that screamed agony, pain and torture. Despite his instincts telling him otherwise, Naruto stood his ground. In his peripheral vision he watched as the Yondaime Hokage visibly shuddered, no doubt remembering his own time here not so long ago.

"Well... Here we are..." said Botan nervously. "A-Are you sure you know what you're doing."

Naruto grinned at Botan. "Just leave everything to me!" He puffed out his chest and thumped it with his fist as he said this.

Naruto then started for the gate.

"Naruto," the Yondaime said as Naruto was stepping through. "Remember, no matter what happens in there, I am proud of you, my son."

Naruto froze.

His eyes widened in shock.

"Th-thanks..." said Naruto, still half shocked as he entered the Rosuto Reikon no Kajuen. His mind was still on other things when he felt a sudden chill run up his spine.

Naruto hesitantly made his way through the Sakura grove. The entire landscape seemed to be locked in a perpetual autumn, though in Konoha they were in the hottest week of one of the hottest summers they'd had yet. Of course he wasn't in Konohagakure no Sato, or even within the Elemental Countries anymore. Those were back in Ningenkai, blissfully unaware of the trials he faced all the way in Reikai.

The pinkish white petals gracefully fell from the Sakura trees, and swirled around Naruto, caught in the gentle, yet biting breeze.

'Now all I have to do is find this Yo-guy...' Naruto thought.

As if summoned by Naruto's thoughts, a cold, echoing voice called out, "Who dares enter my domain?"

"U-Uzumaki Naruto..." Naruto said hesitantly. In the distance, Naruto could hear heavy, clanking footsteps moving closer towards himself.

Naruto turned to the sound of the approaching figure and was in awe of the entities' stature.

The 'man' was huge, though his face was hidden underneath a large, round brimmed hat and he was wrapped in a heavy cloak.

"Your spirit... It's familiar, yet foreign to me... Odd..." said the figure Naruto was sure was Yojimbo. "Ah yes... Your spirit is very similar to his, the one recently released, yet was marked by the one currently residing within the depths of my stomach. You are that child... The only being touched by a Shinigami and lived to tell the tale unscathed, though you were too young to remember or even truly understand. What brings you here gaki?"

Naruto bristled at the nickname, "I need Kyuubi's power and I want you to give it to me!"

* * *

"What the heck does he think he's doing making demands like that!" shouted Botan who, with Minato, was back in Koenma's office. The three of them, plus Koenma's Ogre Assistant, George, were watching what was going on in a crystal ball. 

"Winging it, I suppose," said Koenma, "I was almost certain he'd do something like this, though I hoped he'd keep his head."

"He might be able to pass off as a mini Bunshin of myself, but he's definitely his mother's son through and through," said Minato chuckling.

"How can you be making jokes at a time like this?" seethed Botan.

"Because I believe in my son," said Minato proudly, his eyes never leaving the crystal ball.

* * *

Yojimbo chuckled. 

"And why should I give it to you?" asked Yojimbo.

"So I can be brought back to life and be the first Hokage to be Reikai Tantei," declared Naruto.

"Reikai Tantei, eh," said Yojimbo evenly, "It's been sometime since we had one of those. You still haven't answered my question though. Why should you be given the Kyuubi's Youki?"

"Bebi-sama said something about my body not being able to live without Kyuubi," said Naruto.

"And why should I allow you to cheat death, to deprave a shinigami of it's prize?" asked Yojimbo, "What makes you think you are worthy of being resurrected?"

"Because they need me!" shouted Naruto impatiently, "Everyone's hurting down there because of me!"

"Why should you care?" asked Yojimbo, "You're dead. They're not. In time they'll just forget about you. You'll become a forgotten shadow, a mere impression easily forgotten and barely remembered."

"Because they're my precious people and I will do anything for them, even kick your ass if I have to!" stated Naruto firmly.

Yojimbo chuckled. "I am far above your level Mortal Gaki, however, you are in luck. There is something I want, SHOULD you become Reikai Tantei."

"Fine, what is it?" asked Naruto impatiently.

"Some time ago, I was summoned to Ningenkai," said Yojimbo, "I was summoned by an old man, who currently resides within me."

"Ojii-san!" gasped Naruto.

"He attempted to seal another within him," said Yojimbo, "But the sealing was incomplete, which is the only reason the old man resides within my gullet. Normally, I could care less, but the fraction of soul I devoured from the other, was disturbing. It wasn't pure. Not exactly tainted, but impure all the same. As if multiple souls had been forcibly merged together in an effort to escape the ultimate fate of all mortals, the chilling grip of the Shinigami. I want you to eliminate the one called Orochimaru."

"Why can't you do it? You're the ALL POWERFUL Shinigami," said Naruto.

"Only within the Rosuto Reikon no Kajuen, is my power supreme above all others. Outside these walls my powers are limited, doubly so in Ningenkai," answered Yojimbo, "With techniques such as the Shiki Fujin, I retain more of my power when crossing the realms, but my strength is still widely dependent on the will of the summoner."

"Your hard work will not go unrewarded. In return for your service, I will release the old man in exchange for the Konkui (Soul Eater)," said Yojimbo.

"All right, deal!" said Naruto excitedly. "Now, give me that power!"

"Not so fast mortal gaki," said Yojimbo, "You must prove yourself worthy."

"Grr... How in the hell do I do that!" demanded Naruto.

"You must fight a Champion of my choosing," said Yojimbo.

"Bring it!" said Naruto, who was more than ready for a fight.

"Very well," said Yojimbo, "Now... Since you are trying to become Reikai Tantei and fighting for the right to possess the power of the Kyuubi, it is only fitting that you should fight one of the most clever and powerful demons in Reikai. Youko Kurama."

In a swirl of Sakura petals, a new figure appeared. He wore a Chinese style long sleeved white shirt with yellow trim, and a red sash around his waist. The pants were also white with yellow trim and he wore black shoes. He had long red hair and green eyes and was currently engrossed in a green book. Naruto almost growled in annoyance until he noticed the book as a simple one on gardening, not the latest Icha Icha.

Without looking up from the book Kurama said in a bored tone, "I am ready to begin whenever you are."

"Aren't you going to at least put your book away?" asked Naruto gritting his teeth.

"I don't think that will actually be necessary," said Kurama calmly.

"Grr... THAT'S IT!" shouted Naruto, "I'm gonna show you what I do to people who underestimate me! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Mass Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Unlike dozens, perhaps hundreds, of times before, nothing happened.

Focusing again, Naruto summoned up his powers.

"TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" he yelled. He looked around him but did not see a single clone in sight. At this point he'd settle for even one of the half dead useless ones. 'What the hell is going on! That should have been enough power to summon at least a couple thousand Kage Bunshin...'

Flipping a page in his book, Kurama spoke up. "Your techniques require chakra, correct?"

Naruto looked at Kurama confusedly, "Err... Yeah..."

"Then they will not work here, at least not in your current state," said Kurama.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Simple, the Chakra you use in your techniques is a source of energy that consists of combination of your Reiki and the physical energies of your body," explained Kurama, "As you are but a simple ghost, an entity made completely of Reiki, you have no physical energy to draw on. Meaning you can not use chakra."

'Kuso... This being dead stuff is causing more problems than it's worth...' thought Naruto frantically trying to think of a way to fight his new adversary. 'Note to self, never die again...'

"Oh yeah! Well I won't need Chakra to defeat the likes of you!" declared Naruto.

"We shall see," said Kurama, still reading his book.

* * *

A/N: The Kyuubi is stuck in Limbo, but Naruto needs its' power to come back to life. Will he be able to obtain it? Can he defeat the mighty and clever Youko Kurama without the use of chakra? Find out in the next exciting installment of Ultimate Detective: Rei Shinobi!

As many of you noticed I used the Sanskrit version of King Enma's name that was also used in the American Dubb by FUNimation. This is mostly because Sarutobi's Boss Summon is also named Enma, so to avoid confusion Koenma's father will be known as King Yamma.


	3. Kurama vs Naruto, Naruto's Test pt 2

_It's been a while, I know, but hopefully well worth the wait. However, before beginning the long awaited Chapter 3, I will address a few reviews._

**_Haud Nomen:_**_ I realize that I seemed to skip over Gaara's reaction. But fear not, Gaara will get actual face time before Naruto is resurrected. As for your inquiries about Kurama... Answered this chapter._

**_All who inquired about pairings:_**_ As with all my fics, there is NO set pairing. For this particular fic, I am leaning heavily towards one of three pairings, but I will not say which. Given all of the fanfic work I've lost over the last two years, it's a miracle this chapter has even made it this far and will change course again and again long before I'm done._

**_Update Notes:_**_ For fans of **Weapon-X**, it is the one closest to an update and hasn't been finished mostly due to laziness. I will endeavor to correct this particular shortcoming of mine. Other than that, my main priorites are **The Konoha Ghostbusters**, **Youko Naruto**, and an **Untitled Harry Potter/Stargate: Atlantis X-over**. **Rei Shinobi **has also been bumped up significantly in my priorities list, so do enjoy and hope my inspiration doesn't fade._

* * *

**Chapter Three: Kurama vs Naruto, Naruto's Test pt. 2**

Word quickly spread across the village about the death of Uzumaki Naruto at the hands of the last loyal Uchiha. However, reactions were mixed.

A good portion of the civilian population were relieved, the threat of the Kitsune was no longer hanging over their heads. However, they had the good sense to not be overly obvious about this as there were those amongst the shinobi populace were clearly morning the boy- the Hokage had taken the boy's death rather hard.

A small amount had completely forgotten about him, now that his pranks had ceased when he became a shinobi. Sure he was still the load mouthed, hyperactive idiot, but now that the boy had a focus he was more tolerable. They were surprised when they heard of his victory over the prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan during the Chuunin Exams and the role he played in the Oto/Suna Invasion. While they were not particularly fond of him, they were saddened to hear of his death in the line of duty and a small few even wished they had been nicer to the boy while he was still alive.

Most, however, were indifferent. They cared little for the boy as he was a constant reminder that he was finally gone from their presence. It brought peace of mind to a small portion of these people that their family members could finally rest in peace as with the boy's demise, the Kyuubi no Youko had died as well.

In the months since he graduated, he had gained a modicum amount of respect from the shinobi populace.

This had started after Team 7's first 'C' Rank, turned 'A' Rank, mission to Wave- or rather shortly after when the Hokage had sent out a team to collect the difference of mission pay (considering the still poor state of the economy of Wave Country, Sarutobi only charged them with a 'B' Ranked mission fee and waved the fines that usually resulted when a client was being less than truthful about the parameters of a mission.).

It had been quite a shock to see the massive bridge and an even bigger surprise to find it was called "The Great Naruto Bridge" and bore a plaque dedicating the bridge to the efforts Team 7, Naruto especially, took in order to bring their country out from the tyrannical, iron fist rule of Gatou.

Then there was the fact that not only was he a rookie Genin being nominated for the Chuunin Exams, but he also defeated a scion of the Inuzuka Clan, one that had constantly put Naruto down for a good portion of his time at the academy. There were also rumors that he stood his ground against Orochimaru single-handedly, but not many were all together sure about how true that was.

Since Naruto hadn't mentioned it, many assumed that it was speculation since Orochimaru had specifically targeted one of his teammates during the exam.

While his victory of the Inuzuka Scion was unexpected, it was completely dwarfed by the Jinchuuriki's victory over the Hyuuga Prodigy. The fact that he not only overcame their Jyuuken fighting style, but could consciously control the power many had feared even a decade after the Kyuubi's attack on their village caused many to reevaluate their opinions of the boy.

Many even expected him to be made a Chuunin right along with the Nara boy and Sabaku girl and were shocked when that didn't happen as it was well known that Uzumaki Naruto was a favored shinobi of the Godaime Hokage.

It was needless to say that the Shinobi force as a whole mourned the death of Uzumaki Naruto as they had many fallen comrades that had come before him and acknowledged the fact that he had died a hero in the service of Konohagakure no Sato and her people.

* * *

Naruto was simmering with barely repressed fury.

This... This... Person was underestimating him like all those back home! Well enough was enough! People were going to start respecting him even if it killed him!

Of course, in his anger, Naruto forgot that he was already dead.

In typical Naruto fashion, he did one thing. He charged at Kurama head first intent on giving the red head a thorough thrashing.

"Rrraagggghhhhh!" Naruto yelled in fury as he charged. Kurama had yet to look up from his book. Naruto jumped into the air, but before his fist could connect with Kurama, the red haired kitsune vanished.

"Wha-!" Naruto said intelligibly in wide eyed astonishment.

"I thought you said you were going to hit me?" asked Kurama turning another page. Naruto spun around in surprise before getting angry once more.

'Kuso!' Naruto thought.

The prospective Reikai Tantei growled, and sprang backwards, spinning in midair to try and strike Kurama with the backside of his right fist. Kurama bent backwards, dodging the blow, however, Naruto's left fist was coming straight for him. Kurama just barely managed to jump out of the way of the blondes fist as it crashed into the ground shattering the stone it struck.

Naruto jumped forward again and swung at Kurama. The Kitsune caught Naruto's fist and pushed it away from him. Naruto rode the momentum of the counter landing on the ground on his hands and then pushing himself off in an attempt to deliver a devastating mule kick to Kurama. However, Kurama managed to twist his body to avoid what was potentially a crippling blow.

Naruto landed on his feet once more, skidding backwards slightly, the expression of anger still on his face. He grinned slightly as he realized that Kurama was no longer paying attention to his book, however, the brief rush of satisfaction he felt was quickly squashed as he realized that Kurama was STILL not taking him seriously!

The Kitsune had not gone into a defensive stance, nor had he put his book away! He was 'fighting' Naruto one-handed. And the bland expression on his face... That cursed looked of apathetic boredom... It was almost as if he was facing another Kakashi!

That only made Naruto even more furious than before. "Take me seriously!" he shouted springing at his opponent once more. "Bastard!"

Naruto's fist was blocked again and Kurama pushed it away, again. Remembering something he saw Sasuke do once or twice while sparring with Kakashi-sensei, Naruto used the momentum to deliver a quick, but powerful kick to Kurama. However, the red head blocked that as well. Naruto, thinking quickly, drew a kunai out of his side pouch hoping to impale it on his calm adversary. Had he stopped to think, he might have wondered how his spirit had access to his weapons, but he was too focused on his anger to think about anything other than giving Kurama the beating of a lifetime. Kurama managed to dodge the kunai, but had to use his book to block it.

The blade pierced the book's hardcover, and was instantly incinerated, slightly singing Kurama's hand despite the fact he had hurriedly released the book on contact with Naruto's 'weapon'. Still, Kurama managed to grip the sleeve of Naruto's jacket and tossed him away.

Naruto tucked into a roll, tumbling twice before coming to his feet. His hand immediately reached into his pouch and he flung three kunai at his kitsune adversary. What he hadn't expected was for them to be glowing brightly with blue energy and traveling at speeds much faster than he'd thrown them. Still, Kurama dodged them with practiced ease.

Naruto froze in shock.

"Near instinctual control over your reiki," said Kurama, "It would be more impressive had you realized what you were doing. A shame."

Naruto's shock was replaced by anger. He clenched his fist. He didn't know it, but his reiki aura was beginning to glow brightly, blue flames of pure energy seemed to roll off him with a destructively fluid grace.

Kurama's eyes widened slightly in shock, not that Naruto noticed. Even Yojimbo's red, ethereal eyes seemed to brighten a fraction.

"Don't. Underestimate. Me!" Naruto growled through. A bolt of energy surged up Naruto's right arm.

Naruto thrust his arm forward, sending six bolts of kunai shaped energy at Kurama. Kurama jumped to his right, narrowly avoiding the attack when Naruto followed up with a second barrage. Kurama spun away from the second barrage, the sleeve of his shirt getting slightly cut and lightly burnt from the proximity of the Rei Kunai.

A growl alerted him to the swiftly approaching Naruto.

The Yondaime Hokage's son jumped at him and struck at Kurama with a solid right hook. Unfortunately, for the deceased shinobi, it was blocked, as was the follow up punch and the one after that. Finally, Kurama was able to kick Naruto's feet out from under him.

Kurama jumped backwards, putting distance between himself and his opponent as Naruto did a handspring and crouching into a somewhat crude stance. Kurama didn't have to wait long as Naruto jumped back into action, blocking each strike as it came and dodging each kick. After quite a few near misses, Kurama lashed out with a palm thrust to Naruto's sternum, knocking the blonde shinobi back.

"KUSO!" Naruto shouted in frustration. "Take this!"

Kurama's eyes widened in shock as a large amount of Reiki began to gather itself into both of Naruto's open palms, the bright glow of his aura returning even more intense that it had been moments earlier.

He then thrusted both hands forward, bringing them together. "REIHOU (Spirit Cannon)!"

A large beam shot from Naruto's hands barreling towards Kurama. Kurama simply faded out of existence as the beam went to connect, shooting right through him and blowing up a large boulder and uprooted a couple trees.

Naruto was dead tired, but kept his guard up should Kurama reappear. Had he been more cognizant of what was happening, he would have noticed that he seemed to flicker slightly out of existence, becoming translucent for a moment before becoming completely solid once more.

"Interesting..." Yojimbo's deep voice echoing through out the orchard. "Even with no knowledge of spirit manipulation, you still managed to create two unique techniques, and a variation of the first one you demonstrated. You were completely outclassed, yet you refused to give up. Even through your anger and frustration, you were victorious against that spiritual avatar."

"So... Does that mean I pass?" asked Naruto panting, dark rings, reminiscent of Gaara, around his eyes, giving them a sunken in look. He felt more tired than he ever remembered being when he was alive. Perhaps a side effect of having Kyuubi with him all those years.

"You pass," said Yojimbo. "However, remember one thing. Had that been the true Youko Kurama and not a mere imitation, you'd have lost. He'd not have toyed with you as this imitation had. You are powerful, but as you are, your powers do not compare to those of a demon of his caliber, nor are they enough to face off against a creature like Orochimaru. And though you seem to have some natural talent, your skills are far below those of your enemies. You must tread lightly for the path ahead of you will be even more difficult that when you were a mere Jinchuuriki."

"It's my dream to be the Kage of my village, and there is no easy path to becoming Hokage," said Naruto with a determined tone. "I know I have to work hard. That's why I train and protect my precious people, even at the cost of my life!"

Yojimbo's glowing red eyes dimmed slightly. "You do not fully understand, nor will you until you are ready. Being Reikai Tantei is unlike any occupation you will ever find in Ningenkai. You shoulder a responsibility like no other. Add to that, you will be a being unlike any other. Not truly human, yet not a demon. You are no longer a Jinchuuriki, yet you are both like and unlike a hanyou."

"Then... Then what am I?" asked Naruto. He looked directly into the Ancient Shinigami's eyes.

"That is something you must realize on your own," said the Shinigami, "Only then can you truly understand your powers and the responsibilities that come with them."

He then turned away from Naruto and began to leave. There was a barking noise and Naruto looked to see a strange dog-like creature that looked similar to a foot stool run at Yojimbo. The creature stopped short, wagging it's tail in obedience as Yojimbo reach down to scratch its' head. "Now go. You do not belong here."

"W-Wait! What about Kyuubi's power?" demanded Naruto.

Yojimbo did not turn back, He merely waved his hand. A ball of sickening crimson power began to form in front of Naruto. It slowly spiraled into an orb a bit larger than a soccer ball. Once the chakra was a compact orb of compressed malicious power, a small force field appeared around it, containing it. Even though there was a barrier between Naruto and the Kyuubi's raw hateful power, he could still feel the negative feelings that seemed to ooze off of the ball of youki.

"Koenma will know what to do..." said Yojimbo.

Naruto barely payed him any attention his focus almost completely on the crimson orb that was surging with repressed power. Power that was wild and tainted. Power that could not be contained. Power that was and would forever remain untamed.

"Go..."

It was whispered, but Naruto still heard it. He looked up at Yojimbo, but the old shinigami was no longer there. Hesitantly, he reached out towards the orb, barely touching it. As he placed his hand on the orbs surface he felt it was cool to the touch. He then reached out with his other hand and firmly gripped the orb containing the Kyuubi's powers.

Naruto gulped as the orb surged underneath his touch, yet he did not pull away from it. He felt invigorated, energized in ways he never felt possible. The power of the Kyuubi was now his to control, his and his alone. It was an addictive feeling. With it, he felt as if nothing could possibly stop him.

Naruto shook his head. He had to focus. Somehow, he felt as if this was going to be a lot harder than he initially thought.

* * *

"How is Tsunade-hime holding up?" asked Jiraiya, there was no mistaking the genuine concern in his voice. There was no jokes, no attempted groping and not event the slightest inkling of an intention to go out to conduct his research. Shizune quietly closed the door to Tsunade's room as gently and quietly as possible.

Shizune shook her head. "I-I'm not sure she'll ever recover... Naruto-kun... Naruto-kun was her reason. Her hope..."

"Her third chance," Jiraiya interjected.

Shizune sighed and nodded.

"Damn gaki..." Jiraiya turned to look out at the cloudy skies outside. It had not stopped raining since Naruto's death, as if the heavens themselves were crying out for the loss a great hero. "You can feel it, can't you?"

"Hai... The village... It seems rather subdued, empty..." said Shizune.

Jiraiya nodded. "If you look at the village, it's almost as if nothing's changed. People are going about their daily business as if nothing was wrong, like Konoha didn't lose one of her greatest and most precious heroes."

"Yet everything still feels wrong," said Shizune, "It almost seems as if the village has lost its' spark."

"After what happened when Kakashi returned back with Naruto and the Uchiha, even the most stubborn Naruto-haters are having trouble finding fault in the boy," stated Jiraiya. "I can't imagine what the reactions of the village will be once we reveal Naruto's heritage."

"I wish we could have told him before... Naruto-kun told me of how he always wanted to know about them," Shizune sighed sadly. "I hope he at least realized how many people truly cared about him deeply."

Jiraiya shook his head. "I doubt it... His team were the closest he had to family besides us, and based on their recent actions, I don't think any of them fully appreciated him for what he was until it was too late. Even Kakashi began to take him for granted. The Hyuuga girl was a shocker though. She seems to have cared for him longer than the others, but Naruto can be so thick headed sometimes... A lot like his mother at the same age. Same determination, same heart, same lack of common sense."

Shizune clenched her fists and eyes closed as tears threatened to spill forth. Her bottled up feelings finally came out in a torrent of emotion when Jiraiya brought her into a one armed hug, one meant purely for comfort with no impure intentions or ulterior motives.

* * *

Four figures sat around a table looking at a crimson orb.

"It's incredible how something so hateful and destructive can look so beautiful," commented Botan.

"You don't know the half of it," stated Minato, "In Ningenkai this power has the ability to devastate countries on a mere whim. It could obliterate mountains and cause large tsunami's. The Kyuubi's mere presence was enough to decimate the local flora and fauna. Its' malice could wilt plants and it's killing intent could send lesser beings into cardiac arrest."

"So, Minato-san, how do you wish to proceed?" asked Koenma.

"I'll make a modification or two to Naruto's current seals to help better facilitate the absorption of Kyuubi's youki. Then, I suppose we can add a few spiritual bindings in place for when the youki enters Naruto's body and place the rest of them once it's inside his spiritual body." Minato then turned to look his son in the eye. "I won't lie to you Naruto, the process will be nothing short of extremely painful."

Naruto, however, looked as determined as ever. "Let's do it."

* * *

The remnants of the famed "Rookie Nine", as they were currently being referred to as since the Chuunin Selection Exams (though after the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, thanks to the efforts of Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji, it seemed as if Team Gai was being included as well, changing the name of the group to the "Konoha 12") along with Lee and Tenten, were all camped out in the room of Inuzuka Kiba.

Missing were the distraught Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata, the under house arrest Uchiha Sasuke, the critical Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Neji and the deceased Uzumaki Naruto.

They were all uncharacteristically silent, not knowing what to say to one another. Kiba was sitting up in his bed, his abdomen heavily bandaged from his nearly fatal, self inflicted stab wound. Lee was sitting in a wheelchair, his physical therapy set back several weeks because of his fight with Kaguya Kimmimaro. Tenten was perched by the window looking out to the dreary looking Konoha, Ino was next to her, but was idly playing with hair. Though it was still rather short from her fight with Sakura months prior, her bangs were still quite long.

Shikamaru was perched in the far corner of the room. Though Sabaku no Temari had talked some sense into him, there were many issues he still had to work out. Shino was perched at the end of Kiba's bed. His typically emotionless visage seemed to have a perpetual scowl ever since he had heard of what had happened. Not only had he missed out on the mission of a lifetime- for a genin- but several of his comrades were injured and one dead, killed by the hand of another comrade.

A sigh penetrated the silence.

"It just seems wrong, doesn't it?"

Everyone in the room turned to the one who spoke, it was Tenten, who was still looking out the window.

"I mean... I barely knew him and even I can sense how the village has changed without him in it..."

"I don't think anyone really knew him, except maybe Hinata," commented Ino, "The rest of us all looked down on him and treated him like the dobe he'd always been. We all made fun of him and put him down, took him for granted. Even though he was the weakest of us all in a profession that is kill or be killed a lot of the time, I always thought he'd always be there, giving us that same dopey smile and spouting how he was going to be some 'awesome, bad-ass shinobi' one day."

"I was one of the worst ones growing up," Kiba took over, "He'd been at the academy longer than anyone, yet he was such a screw up. Kaa-san warned me about him before hand, told me how he was trouble and to stay away from him. But really, I don't think I ever saw or heard about anything he ever did that said I should stay away from him. Other than him constantly challenging Sasuke, I think I only ever saw him get into one fight, and that was to stop a bunch of older kids from making fun of Sakura."

Kiba winched when he shifted in the bed slightly to get more comfortable.

"After sizing him up, I decided to see just what he could do. I made fun of him and went out of my way to make his life hell until he started getting back at me and everyone else playing all those pranks," Kiba remembered, "I guess I kind of started to respect him back then. Some of those pranks were awesome. Me, him, Shikamaru and Chouji all became running mates after a while, but we weren't all that close. Even after all that, I still couldn't call Naruto a friend. He was the weak screw-up... The dobe. It took him beating the crap out of me to realize there was more to him than all that orange and his shouts of 'ramen' and 'Hokage'."

"You know, when I think about it... I've only seen Naruto give up only once," said Shikamaru. "When all those people constantly made fun of him and put him down, saying he was a nobody and his dream of becoming Hokage was impossible, he always got up with that same grin on his face daring people to keep telling him those things. All those dates that Sakura turned him down for, all those challenges he lost to Sasuke... Every now and then when either me or Chouji would stay at each other's houses, on our way home we'd sometimes see Naruto working himself to the bone trying to overcome whatever the obstacle of the day was."

Shikamaru had been staring at the floor the entire time, but the looked up at the others briefly.

"Whenever he would screw up in class, our senseis would almost always say it was because he never worked hard enough, or he never trained, but honestly, I think Naruto probably worked harder than any of us while at the academy. It's no wonder how he has so much energy all the time."

"When put into that perspective, it is easy to see why Hinata seemed to always admire Naruto from a distance," said Shino. Many, including Kiba, looked confused at Shino's line of thought.

Shino continued on. "In many ways, Uzumaki Naruto was the anathema of Hyuuga Hinata. Where Naruto was brash and outspoken, Hinata was timid and shy. Where Naruto always sought to be noticed and acknowledged, Hinata always hid herself away from others, keeping herself from attracting too much attention. Naruto never saw himself as weak and always sought to become stronger. Hinata, despite being deceptively powerful and skilled in her own right, never considered herself as such. For much of his life, Naruto has been alone, no family and, as stated earlier, few friends- if any. Hinata was much the same, just as lonely as Naruto, despite coming from a well populated and prestigious clan. In many ways, Naruto was everything Hinata wanted, but couldn't bring herself, to be."

Kiba gave a small pained chuckle. "Remember when we first became 'Team 8', Shino? Hinata would train as hard as us to a certain point, and then she'd just give up. I couldn't understand it. It's part of the reason I was scared she'd get paired up with either Neji or Gaara during the exams. It was a real shocker to find out how well she did against Neji, despite the fact she still lost. After she recovered though, she was a whole different person. Just a few weeks after Tsunade-sama helped speed up her recovery, Hinata ran us all into the ground and was even encouraging us to try harder."

"Nothing we said or did could break through Hinata's barriers. No amount of encouragement, even from Kurenai-sensei, could bring out her potential," added Shino, "Yet a few words from Naruto and Hinata became a whole different person."

"It's because he acknowledged her," said Ino wistfully, "She was always hoping, in secret, that he would notice her and he did."

"Naruto wasn't much different," said Shikamaru, "It's the only reason I can come up with why all of his pranks were so elaborate. He just wanted to be noticed by someone, anyone."

Ino frowned. "But Hinata noticed him. She's always noticed him, even when the rest of us took him for granted."

"True, but Hinata went to great lengths to make sure he was unaware of this fact. Her shyness and fear of rejection from Naruto, kept her from being a better friend to him," Shino replied.

"There's also the fact that Naruto has been so focused on getting Sakura to find him, he missed all of the subtle hints that Hinata was sending him," added Shikamaru, "And let's face it, Naruto was a good guy and could be insightful at times, but subtly for anything outside of pranks was lost on him. He wouldn't be able to recognize any of the signs that someone likes him unless they hit him in the face with it and announced it to the world."

This got a small chuckle out of those present. They fell into a short, comfortable silence after that.

Shikamaru sighed.

"I always thought there'd be more time," said Shikamaru, "Kiba was right, except for me and Chouji, none of us could really say we were really close, but we were all still friends to some degree. The days we would skip class and just hang out were some of the best we'd ever had and I figured we'd always have time in the future for days like that. Days where we really didn't do anything but just hang out, maybe going to the Barbeque Shack or that ramen stand Naruto always talked about, or even just laying around watching the clouds. I always knew there was a possibility that something might happen, but I never really considered that anything might happen to any of us..."

"I know what you mean. I was so jealous when Sakura told me about their mission that got bumped in rank." added Ino, "We hadn't even gotten a 'C' Ranked mission yet, and here they were coming back from an 'A' Ranked one. Looking back at it, they could have died, and for what? Because some stupid client lied about the mission to cut costs on the ninja he was trying to hire!"

Kiba sighed. "Everything was so simple back then... And we were all ready for anything, ready to take on the world if we had to."

"After hearing the mission debriefing, I think the only one of us who was really prepared for anything to happen was Naruto," said Shikamaru.

There were confused frowns around the room. Seeing this, Shikamaru elaborated.

"Sasuke didn't beat Naruto, Naruto let him win. I don't know all the details, because a lot of it is classified, but apparently Sasuke was trying to gain a higher form of his Sharingan. Don't ask me how, because I don't know. I'm guessing it had something to do with trying to kill Naruto, but I can't be sure." the shadow user speculated, "Anyways, I guess Sasuke decided he couldn't got through with it, but Naruto forced him to. Before that, they were both evenly matched."

"Naruto-kun is an example for us all," said Lee. "Like me, he was the dobe of his class. A drop out, a loser, yet he was able to surpass us all, defeating the strongest Genin in Konoha showing everyone that through determination and hard work, one can overcome any obstacles. We have all changed and are better for knowing him. Even in death, his flames of youth burn brighter than most."

This brought up the somber mood in the room. Tenten, despite the fact that she often loathed and became easily annoyed at both her sensei and teammate when they talked about their "Flames of Youth", couldn't help but smile.

"Well said, Lee."

Elsewhere, unbeknownst to the assembled shinobi, their friend was dimensions away sreaming out in horrible agony...

* * *

_**A/N: **Good, Bad, Ugly?_

_Will Naruto succumb to the pain? What other tasks await Naruto's pending death status? Find out in the next exciting chapter of **Ultimate Detective: Rei Shinobi**!_


End file.
